What a trip to the McKenzie River Lodge (“MRL”)! It was a long time coming.

A few days ago, I posted a day-by-day account of it, including both the ups and downs. In this post, I will share “what I wish I had known” before going out there. These are personal earned secrets. YMMV, but I thought it would be helpful to write about them, given the cost and the 10 days required to do the trip.

Here are my thoughts:

Tip the guides extra.

The MRL was the leanest operation of any lodge I’ve ever visited. The fishery could not tolerate many anglers and so they were capped to six per week.

We did get a cook. But there was no manager, cleaning crew, or maintenance person. Their recommended travel agent either didn’t respond to my emails or was very slow at doing so. My guess was that there wasn’t much extra revenue to amortize the fixed costs of the float planes and overhead.

As a result, the guides did multiple jobs.

On the day of our departure, they cleaned the cabins, fixed loose walkway boards, and hauled our luggage and empty diesel barrels and propane tanks to the dock. After our departure, and with new guests milling about, they were to take apart and haul away the dock. At meals, they set the table, cleared and washed the dishes, and planned for the next day.

They had almost no downtime. I was puzzled as to when they found time to tie flies and attend to personal affairs.

So, they were not just guiding. They did multiple jobs and deserved the largest gratuities. And they were in the middle of nowhere for 12 weeks, away from friends and family.

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Be honest about your physical condition.

Are you ready for it?

As I wrote in the prior post, you hike and fish a ton each day, often casting big streamers on big rods. The trails were strewn with slippery tree roots and rocks that were both sharp and large. These were not pleasant strolls through the woods. It was hard hiking for hours a day, particularly when I had my gear and the heat and humidity levels were up. The guides set a blistering pace. There were no water breaks. Biting bugs were everywhere, and insect repellent was only partially effective. A very cold, hard rain emerged at any time.

One angler in our group had difficulty with the terrain and hikes. He said what many of us repeated: “I had no idea what I was in for.” I’ve done tough fishing in Maine. I’ve woken up repeatedly at 3 am to claim my spot for steelhead in Altmar, NY, while trudging through deep snow and fighting frigid temps all day. The physicality of the MRL was 5x those for me.

An MRL insider told me that their customer repeat rate was about 25%. I do not know if that is true, but I can see that. Do young, fit people have the cash and time to do another 10-day trip? Can older people with time and money physically cope with another round of the MRL? It’s a narrow demographic, IMO, that has the resources, time, and health to successfully be at this location.

The fishing was worth it. But you need to have a body and a mindset that are ready to earn the fish.

This was a camp, not a lodge. 

As a fellow guest said, “You get what you pay for.”

The MRL was the most budget-friendly in Labrador, and it must have costed a fortune to operate it. Everything must be flown into the Labrador woods: diesel, propane, groceries, equipment, and humans. Everything must also be flown out: trash, empty diesel barrels, empty propane tanks, and broken gear.

What this meant was that the site was rustic and bare-bones. Not everything in the buildings was in perfect shape. There were no side quests for children. It was a site for serious anglers only.

The trip cost, unlike at other lodges, did include the turbo-prop flights. So that was a bonus.

Avoid the two-person “annex” cabin.

This cabin was rarely used, but it was for our trip because our crew comprised of three sub-groups. The other two groups of two were given the two main cabins, each of which was designed for three guests. Our cabin did have a new shower and a double bed on the bottom floor. So, there were some positives.

But there were plenty of negatives.

The annex was small, about 1/5 the size of the other ones. The other cabins had ample space, a fridge, a small table, two chairs, and a portable coat rack to dry gear. We didn’t have those. I slept in the loft above, traversing a wooden ladder in the dark when I needed to hit the head at night. It was quite hot up there after a sunny day even with a fan.

Moreover, the waft of septic sewage permeated the cabin, particularly at the loft, which was above the bathroom. Thankfully, the guides sourced a rubber cap, which we put on the shower drain when we were done washing. A small plate on the sink drain also was helpful.

I did not blame the guides for any of this. They played the best hand they could given the cards they were dealt.

The cabin should be fixed by next season, the guides told me. I wouldn’t stay in that cabin again, though. We paid the same cost as others did. The good news is that the main cabins seemed quite good. I highly recommend that you confirm their availability before you put down the deposit.

Advocate for yourself.

My friend and I had multiple, physically-onerous days in a row. In retrospect, we should have asked for a pike float earlier to pace the week.

I recommend chatting with the guides each night to get a sense of what might be coming at you the next day and to make adjustments if needed. We just met up with our guides during the first three days and blindly followed them on adventures.

The customer guide they sent was outdated.

A number of the guests noted this.

There was supposed to be a health questionnaire sent ahead of time. We didn’t get one. It mentioned a manager, who was to help us plan each day. That person had left and was not replaced. It said there was a fly shop with materials and flies. There was a small cabinet largely wiped out of inventory. It mentioned that back-up rods were available. The guides told one client that there weren’t any. And the recommended flies list seemed outdated. One fly shop read the list and noted: “Some of those patterns are so old, they’re not around anymore.”

When we got to the lodge, there was a long memo on the coffee table that highlighted in detail many patterns. I scanned it, and it’s here. It mentioned which patterns worked well for early-season vs. mid-season vs. August. I brought too many dries and nymphs and not enough big, weighted streamers. I wish they had sent out the memo to us before the trip.

Be self-sufficient and for multiple species.

Because of the 50-lb. weight limit, I stripped down my gear and wish I had not. One of our guides didn’t have wire leader for pike, but thankfully a fellow angler gave me some for the next day. The guides had flies, but each covered two guests at a time. And your guide can be a long way away given the size of the rivers.

On a single day, you may encounter: lake trout, brook trout, landlocked salmon, and pike. So bring the rods, gear, and flies you’ll need, as well as a good raincoat and a thicker coat for cold mornings or cold days. Have everything on you.

Over-size your rods, leaders, and tippet.

Based on the customer guide and what I had on hand, I brought with me a 5-wt. and a 7-wt. Instead, I should have gone with a 6-wt. and an 8-wt., with a 7-wt. as a back-up. The customer guide recommended 3x as a “base case” leader. I’d go with 1x or 2x, which is what the guides preferred. I suggest bringing the following: 0x to 2x leaders and 0x to 3x fluorocarbon tippet. And that was for the low-water conditions we experienced. I’d bring even stronger materials for high water.

So, that’s the summary.

My trip produced priceless memories, and I was lucky enough to land some PBs. Just know what you’re getting in for, prepare accordingly, and be ready for an amazing fishery if you go.

Tight lines to all!